SOLICITATIONS: Hermes Press to reprint complete Pogo

by Press Release

Press Release

Walt Kelly’s Pogo, acknowledged as one of the most important and influential comic strips of all time, first appeared not in newspapers but as a feature in the Dell comic book anthology Animal Comics, in its first issue, in 1942. The complex, multi-layered, character-rich world of Pogo and the Okefenokee Swamp started in these early stories. It was here, in the four color world of comic books, that the feature and its characters grew and matured, ultimately becoming one of the world’s most famous comic strips.

Now fans of Pogo can see it all from the beginning with Hermes Press’ reprint of the complete Dell Comics Pogo. Volume One will feature all of the Animal Comics Pogo stories together with complete reprints of Pogo’s appearances in Dell’s Four Color comics. Volumes Two and Three will feature complete reprints of Dell’s Pogo Possum title. Each volume will contain essays, documentary material, and examples of original artwork used for the comic books.

Noted comics historian Thomas Andrae observed that with Pogo, “Walt Kelly created a strip that is both poetic and graphically stunning as well as an important commentary on our times.” Hermes Press publisher Dan Herman notes that, “To understand the evolution of Pogo it is absolutely essential to read the Animal Comics incarnation of the feature.”

With Hermes Press’ complete reprint of Dell Comics’ Pogo, admirers of this groundbreaking comics feature can now witness the strip’s evolution, in an archival hardcover, digitally reconstructed to perfection.

Awesome! The Fantagraphics strip reprints of the Pogo Dailies are gorgeous books. Hopefully these comic book reprints live up to that same quality and care. If you’ve never read Pogo, you’re missing out on some of the best comics ever made.